A person whose job is to deliver mail and packages to homes and businesses.
From 'post' (mail delivery system, from Latin 'postis' meaning a station), plus 'man.' The 'post office' originally referred to stations where mail was relayed by riders. The compound 'postman' emerged in the 1700s.
Before emails, a postman was as important as WiFi is today—they were the information network of the world. The word 'post' comes from medieval relay stations where riders would stop to change horses.
Male-default occupational term from era when postal service was male-dominated; persists despite workforce diversification. Gendered job titles invisibilize women in these roles and reinforce professional segregation mentally.
Use 'postal worker' or 'mail carrier' instead. These terms are gender-neutral, more accurate to modern workforces, and increasingly official terminology.
["mail carrier","postal worker","postal delivery agent"]
Women postal workers fought for access and recognition; using inclusive language acknowledges their presence and contributions in roles historically gatekept as male.
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